The surface micro-reliefs of primary martensite plates, representative for two shape memory
alloys (SMAs) with different crystalline structures were compared from qualitative and quantitative
point of view by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, respectively.
Qualitative evaluations revealed larger widths and heights of the primary plates of e hexagonal
close packed (hcp) martensite, in an Fe-Mn-Si-Cr-Ni SMA than those of b29 orthorhombic (9R)
martensite, in a Cu-Zn-Al SMA. Quantitative evaluations were based on systematic dimensional
measurements of the width and height of primary plate profiles. The measurements were performed
on one hundred and twenty five profiles, five on each martensite plate belonging to five
typical groups of primary plates, with length above 50 micrometers, of both e hcp and b29 9R
martensites. In order to compare the topographies of the two types of plates a statistical evaluation
of the dimensional intervals of width and height of measured plates was performed.